In an effort to raise money for mental health supports at St. Paul's Hospital, a huge photo-mosaic is planned for the corner of Granville and West Georgia streets.
The 60 ft. by 20 ft. piece, called 'Pixel Moment' will use donor-submitted photos as pixels to make up the overall image; 10,000 donors will be needed to complete the project. Once the photos have all been submitted artist Andrea Wan, who's worked with the likes of the New York Times and Apple, will create the overall mosaic.
On top of the huge mosaic, which will be placed above the London Drugs at the intersection, there'll be an augmented-reality component.
"When scanned with a smartphone, components of the art piece will be animated, bringing another engaging element to the experience," states organizers in a press release.
Want to know how you can support #PixelMoments? Take a look at our step by step approach and get ready to #Pixeldonate pic.twitter.com/rdnnlfoBEa
— Pixel Moments (@Pixel_Donate) February 1, 2021
To submit a photo people donate $5 per photo/pixel to the cause on the Pixel Moment website. The cause is mental health resources at St. Paul's Hospital. Organizers of the project say over the past five years the hospital has seen a "surge" in visits linked to mental health.
"Mental health and substance use visits have increased by 76 per cent, and 70 per cent of patients treated by the mental health programs have both a mental health condition and substance use disorder," they write in the release.
The piece is being organized by the St. Paul’s Foundation Future Leaders, a group of young professionals who volunteer to help raise money and awareness for the St. Paul's Foundation, which in turn supports Providence Health Care and St. Paul's Hospital.
“Our goal is to inspire and engage with as many people as possible to show how small actions and donations
as little as $5 are within their reach, and that together we can do our part,” says Matt Ilich, a member of the St. Paul’s Future Leaders committee, in the release.
